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ugcc.org.ua - Deafness and blindness are great personal tragedies, but deafness and blindness of the soul is more tragic. On Palm Sunday, Jerusalem was blind and deaf. Its people did not recognize the true mission of Jesus. Many in the crowds wanted a revolutionary and conqueror who would fulfill their expectations and help them realize their nationalistic hopes. Their souls were unmoved. In a few days, the crowds of people will change its heart and will call out for the crucifixion of Jesus. The disciples will flee and hide. Peter will deny Jesus three times. Imagine the loneliness felt by Jesus.

In each of our lives, there are Palm Sunday moments.  Our Lord visits every soul.  There are moments when we feel close to God.  We feel Him touching our lives.  We can hear Him.  Regretfully, there are times when we are blind and deaf to God’s visits.  We are insensitive to His approaches.  These are missed opportunities, personal tragedies.  We find ourselves hiding within ourselves and within our day-to-day concerns, hesitant to risk ourselves to respond to Jesus Christ’s presence and His inviting love.

On Palm Sunday, we receive blessed pussy willows as a symbol of our commitment to Christ.  Remember that the first commitment was made by Jesus for you and for me with His complete love and sacrifice on the cross.  Let your commitment be expressed through all your words and actions in life, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!”  Allow your love for Jesus Christ richly expresses itself in your faithful worship with your parish family in His Church.  May your enthusiastic faith help others to shed their blindness and deafness to the visits of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in their daily life.  Live the peace of Jesus Christ personally and share it with others who desperately need to hear of Christ’s promise of unending joy and peace with Him for all who believe and follow His ways!  Choose to live as an Easter person!

From Gregorios, servant of Jesus Christ,
by the grace of God, Patriarch of Antioch and of All the East,
of Alexandria and of Jerusalem,
to their Graces, the Bishops, members of the Holy Synod,
to our sons and daughters in Jesus Christ,
clergy and people, called holy, and to all those called
by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their and our God,
“grace be unto you and peace from our God and Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(I Corinthians 1:3)

Children of the Resurrection

“Children of the Resurrection” is a beautiful title first used by Our Lord Jesus Christ in his discussion with a group of Sadducean Jews, who denied the resurrection of the dead. Christ countered their argument by saying that human beings after death “are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being children of the resurrection.” (Luke 20:36) He added, “Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.” (Luke 20: 37-38; cf. Matthew 22: 31-32)

For each of you, this means that because you have been created in the image and likeness of God, you are a child of God, life and resurrection.

“Children of the Resurrection” is the splendid title given in the first centuries to Christians in the East. They are children of life since they participate in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I have great pleasure in addressing you, my dear friends, by this most noble and deathless title. You are children of the resurrection. You are children of Him who said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” (John 11: 25) You are children of Him who rose from the dead: like the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7: 11-15) and Jesus’ friend Lazarus (John 11: 1-43). You are children of the resurrection, children of life.

By Andrew Mentock

http://www.todayscatholicnews.org - Every Sunday in Mishawaka, a Mass is celebrated at a church where the congregation’s view of the altar is mostly obscured by a screen of colorful iconography; the readings are spoken from the back of the church; and the body and blood of Christ are mixed together and administered on a spoon. Although quite different from the Mass that most of the faithful within the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend celebrate each weekend and Holy Day of Obligation, this Mass is nonetheless Catholic.

St. Michael Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church was established on the west side of Mishawaka in 1916 and has cared for the spiritual life of Eastern Rite Catholics ever since.

The first thing one who walks into St. Michael is likely to notice is the vibrant iconography painted onto the Iconostasis, or wall of icons and religious paintings, near the altar. The prominent yellow, red and blue colors stick out; as do the doors leading to the altar, which only the priest may use. The embellished images of Jesus, Mary, and several saints may lead one to incorrectly assume that St. Michael is an Orthodox Church.

“Any Catholic can come to St. Michael and receive Communion and attend the Divine Liturgy,” said Rev. George Kuzara CPPS, the parish’s pastor. Attending Mass at St. Michael on Sunday fulfills a Roman Catholic’s Sunday obligation.

St. Michael is part of the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church, one of the 22 Eastern Catholic churches. Together with the Roman Catholic Church, they make up the one universal church.

“It’s important to understand the Eastern churches because of what Pope John Paul II said about how the church ‘breathes with both lungs.’ It doesn’t have one lung,” said Rev. Kuzara. “It has both the Eastern and Roman Catholic churches.”

Click here to continue reading at Today's Catholic News (Publication of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend)

risu.org.ua - On April 1-2, 2017, Bishop Danylo visited Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. Over the weekend Bishop Bohdan took part in the “Christ Our Pascha ” catechetical conference, met with youth and parish community.

The Pastoral visit culminated with celebration of the Pontifical Divine Liturgy on Sunday, April 2nd Bishop Danylo in his homily wished parishioners a blessed remaining pilgrimage through the Great Lent and a spiritual and prayerful celebration of the Holy Week and Easter.

stjosaphateparchy.com

risu.org.ua - On April 5, 2017, exactly a quarter century after the first Council of the renewed Kharkiv-Poltava Eparchy of UAOC, the 27th Council was held in St. Demetrius Church of Kharkiv. The Council was attended by 32 delegates (12 priests and 20 lay people). Head of the UGCC, Patriarch Sviatoslav was attending and participated in the discussion.

According to the press service of the Kharkiv-Poltava Eparchy of UAOC (renewed), the theme of conciliar discussion topic a “vibrant parish” as a model of the parish community. The discussion was attended by Archbishop Ihor (Isichenko), superiors and representatives of parish communities. A relevant resolution was adopted.

Archbishop Ihor and Patriarch Sviatoslav spoke about the progress of the integration of the Kharkiv-Poltava Eparchy of UAOC (renewed) and the UGCC.

Delegates appealed to Pope Francis with a letter, which confirmed the intention to obtain an administrative unity and full communion with the UGCC. The elections of the diocesan board, audit committee, and the diocesan court were held. Pilgrimage to Zarvanytsya was decided to schedule on July 15-16, 2017.

As RISU reported, in an interview with "Nation and State" newspaper, Archbishop Ihor Isichenko said on what principles the Kharkiv-Poltava Eparchy of UAOC would unite with the UGCC. The unity of the Kharkiv-Poltava Eparchy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church with the UGCC it is not the matter of passing to a different denomination or acceding to it, but, as Archbishop Igor puts it, of the “fraternal advice on recovery of administrative and Eucharistic unity between the two Churches."

Archbishop Isichenko explained that "the UGCC from the late nineteenth century successfully runs the process of restoring the authentic Kyivan and is the closest of our local Christian communities to the Kyivan tradition.”

"We have asked the UGCC episcopate asking for advice on restoring fraternal Eucharistic and administrative unity between our churches. I am eternally grateful for what our appeal, despite his complete surprise for the Church, was made with affection, understanding, and respect for our position. Hierarchical Synod of the UGCC in September 2015 set up a commission to prepare an answer to this request. Currently ongoing work of the said commission, "- said Archbishop Ihor (Isichenko).

CWN - A Chaldean priest has spoken with “enthusiasm, but also emotion,” about plans to celebrate Mass in on Palm Sunday in one of the towns liberated from the Islamic State.

Father Paul Thabit Mekko reports that ten or more buses will carry Catholics from Erbil, where they found shelter after the Islamic State offensive, to the town of Karamies, on the Nineveh Plains. The town’s church has been cleaned up, he says, and 400 people are expected for the “first Easter of liberation.”

References:

• Iraqi Priest: Palm Sunday in ISIS ravaged church in Karamles (AsiaNews)